French chemist Henri B. Kagan and Japanese chemist Kenso Soai have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discoveries that helped explain how chemical reactions can produce predominantly one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the researchers were recognized for the discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
Their work addressed a long-standing question in chemistry known as homochirality. Many molecules exist in two forms that are mirror images of each other, while biological systems often use only one of those forms.
The research is particularly important for asymmetric synthesis and the development of biologically active molecules, including pharmaceuticals. The two laureates will share the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
